Today, we did our laundry, scrubbed the inside of the boat and worked on a number of small top-side projects. Basically, it was a work day. To keep a boat in tip top shape takes constant work, especially when you are cruising and using it every day. I ran out of steam before I finished all the work that I wanted to do in the convenience of a marina so we will be staying one more day. This also allows the Australian military to complete their two day aircraft flare testing near Pearl Bay, our next anchorage location. Pearl Bay is part of a military reservation and it usually closes when they are doing maneuvers. However, since it is an aerial exercise, they are allowing cruisers into their waters. However, you sail at your own risk since the spent flare casings could fall on your boat. By us waiting an extra day, we will arrive at Pearl Bay in the later part of afternoon and they should be done with their aerial flare testing by then.

On a high note, as I was walking down the long, long dock, heading toward the marine office, I spied a cute turtle munching away on the sea grass that is growing on the bottom of the dock. He was having a great old time and my presence did not some to bother him. Thus, I ran back to the boat, grabbed my camera and ended up taking a couple of pictures of him. I will post them above this blog. This is the very first time I have seen a turtle in a marina anywhere we have sailed. How cool is that!

On another high note, I bumped into some our cruising friends while walking over to the Coast Guard Station to check on the status of military maneuvers. I first saw Paul of S/V Silver Lining II, which was the boat that was parked next to us in Bundaberg. They are here addressing some electrical issues on one of their engines. The wiring caught fire and Paul said they were lucky they did not lose their boat. Based on what he said, I am going to be conducting a thorough inspection of our wiring tomorrow!

I also saw our Dutch friends Jerald and Anz of S/V Spirit. They are being hauled out tomorrow to change out a number of thru-hulls that are leaking. They have been here almost a week waiting for the thru-hulls to arrive. They arrived on Friday so they are scheduled to be hauled out on Monday.

Techno-Tip Of The Week: Cotton Gloves

Make sure you have at least one pair of very heavy cotton or synthetic groves on your boat. Two pair would even be better, just in case the first pair wears out.

You need to wear heavy gloves that can get wet whenever you scraped the barnacles off the hull of your boat. All it takes is just one slip of your scraper and your hand and/or knuckles are ground hamburger. If this happened, you could end up with a serious inflection since the warm waters of the tropics harbor all kinds of bacteria.

If you do end up opening up a wound caused by barnacles, immediately get out of the water and flush the wound with hydrogen peroxide. Let the HP sit on the wound for 15 seconds and then flush it again. Do this 5 or 6 times. Next, coat it with an antibiotic and put a bandage over it. Do not go into the water until the wound is healed.